The music of the Cowboys Frigants rings even stronger in Quebec after their singer Karl Tremblay died of cancer on Wednesday at the age of 47. Here are 10 songs we won’t listen to in the same way again.
• Also read: Quebec mourns the death of Karl Tremblay
• Also read: Death of Karl Tremblay: a powerful collective mourning across Quebec
• Also read: Death of Karl Tremblay: “On My Shoulder” is broadcast simultaneously at 8 a.m. on several radio stations.
Shooting stars
All it took were the first notes of the song “The Shooting Stars” to bring me back to youth. The piece emphatically emphasizes the transient side of our existence. Today it is impossible not to see Karl Tremblay as one of Quebec’s great shooting stars. (PM)
heads up
Karl has been having trouble singing it on stage lately. And for good reason, this text is almost in every way what he experienced. The cowboy walked with his head held high. “When I am at the end of the road / of my far too short life / I will still go in peace / without feeling any regrets.” (RGM)
Here below
On the Plains on July 17th, the Cowboys play the intro to Ici-bas, Karl steps forward, leans towards the microphone and… no sound. Choked with emotion, he only managed to sing this piece on his second attempt, where each word weighed a thousand times heavier under the circumstances. (CB)
America is crying
Since the announcement of Karl Tremblay’s death, we have the impression that we have seen “all of America cry.” This song (obviously committed!) will remind us of the pain he felt at his loss, but also of all the good moments associated with the presence and work of the Cowboys over the years. Memories that we can always see “in the rearview mirror”. (SEN)
On my shoulder
Whether we attended that unforgettable show at the Quebec Summer Festival or watched one of the clips recorded by some of the 90,000 admirers on the Plains of Abraham last July, we know this on my shoulder – and this interpretation in perfect harmony with the audience from the sick singer – will forever remain enshrined in the hearts of Quebecers. (SEN)
Nothing
“There are only a few minutes left in my life / A few hours at most, I feel like I’m weakening,” Karl sang at the start of this piece. Originally environmentally conscious, the piece now makes us think directly of the singer and gives me the motto as he ends with “Farewell, humanity, farewell, humanity”. Farewell, Karl. (RGM)
Nowadays
How many times have I listened to this song with a tight throat while driving on the 138 towards Port-Cartier, where my heart was, while my head floated 1000 kilometers in the opposite direction. (AC)
Ti-ass
We all have a little ti-ass in us and I think Karl knew it. The path to happiness and success is full of detours. But if we stay true to our beliefs, our little story can hold big surprises for us. (AC)
Lost time
Certainly one of the first Cowboys Fringants songs I heard, based on a poem by Jacques Prévert. How I loved this reflection on the time we too often waste for the wrong reasons! A beautiful memory that takes on even more meaning today. (PM)
Rue Laurier
My 8 year old son’s favorite band is the Cowboys. Writing about Karl’s death for Le Journal on Wednesday evening, I suggested that it might be appropriate to listen to his music. My player’s random selected Ruelle Laurier. My husband, who had been holding back his emotions since I told him the news on the way home from school, burst into tears. Ruelle Laurier will forever be linked to this moment of father-son mourning. (CB)